Who painted Death and the Woodcutter, 4th plate (La Mort et le bûcheron)?

Death and the Woodcutter, 4th plate (La Mort et le bûcheron) was painted by Alphonse Legros in 1888.

Where can I see Death and the Woodcutter, 4th plate (La Mort et le bûcheron)?

Death and the Woodcutter, 4th plate (La Mort et le bûcheron) is held by National Gallery of Art.

What movement is Death and the Woodcutter, 4th plate (La Mort et le bûcheron)?

Death and the Woodcutter, 4th plate (La Mort et le bûcheron) is associated with Impressionism.

Artwork

Death and the Woodcutter, 4th plate (La Mort et le bûcheron)

Alphonse Legros , 1888

Death and the Woodcutter, 4th plate (La Mort et le bûcheron) is an ink print by the Impressionist artist Alphonse Legros. It dates from 1888 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.

About this work

Overview

Alphonse Legros produced the etching *Death and the Woodcutter, 4th plate* in 1888. Executed after his relocation to London and naturalisation as a British citizen, the work belongs to the late‑19th‑century revival of printmaking in Britain, a movement in which Legros was a central figure.

Subject & Meaning

The image presents a weary woodcutter collapsed on the forest floor, his axe and saw abandoned nearby. Overhead, a skeletal personification of Death leans against a tree, its bony hand juxtaposed with the laborer’s strained musculature, underscoring the tension between human effort and mortality.

Technique & Style

Created through traditional etching, Legros employed fine line work to render the woodcutter’s flesh and the stark, linear contours of the skeletal figure. The tangled branches and uneven terrain are suggested with cross‑hatching, while the contrast of dense shading on the living figure against the skeletal outline heightens the dramatic effect.

History & Provenance

Legros, originally from France, settled in London in 1863 and later taught at the Royal Academy Schools, where he encouraged a renewed interest in etching. This particular plate is part of a series exploring similar themes, and it reflects his broader commitment to graphic art during his British period.

Context

The work aligns with Victorian preoccupations with death and the moral implications of labor. By placing a common rural figure opposite an allegorical Death, Legros engages contemporary debates about the fragility of human endeavor amid the era’s rapid industrial and social change.